Alan Skidmore guests on Nat Birchall Unity Ensemble's 'New World' LP

The 'New World' album from the Nat Birchall Unity Ensemble featuring UK saxophone legend Alan Skidmore is out March 22.

Here's the scoop...

Nat Birchall returns with a new studio album with an expanded Unity Ensemble. Six original compositions played by a seven-piece group featuring the legendary UK tenor saxophonist, Alan Skidmore and guest percussionist Mark Wastell. 

Both musicians joined the group onstage at a John Coltrane tribute concert at London’s Café Oto last year, the resulting performance showing just how compatible all the musicians were, so Nat thought it would be propitious to record the group in the studio with their special guests. Nat and Alan are Coltrane devotees of the highest order, but they each have their own individual style, and at the sessions their playing complimented each other’s beautifully. With no trace of anyone attempting to “outdo” the other one the recording dates were a testament to the whole group’s selfless approach to music making. 

About Alan Skidmore

Alan Skidmore plays soprano and tenor saxophones, flutes and drums. He is the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore, who gave him a discarded tenor that Alan ignored until he was about 15. At that time he decided to teach himself to play. 

Skidmore began playing professionally in 1958, and did various commercial engagements, including tours with comedian Tony Hancock and singer Matt Monro and five years in the house band at London’s Talk Of The Town nightclub. In 1961 he made the first of many appearances on BBC Radio’s Jazz Club, and also fell under the spell of his idol, John Coltrane. 

Skidmore worked with numerous important and/or successful bands in the years following, including Eric Delaney, where he replaced his father when Jimmy decided to leave (in 1963), Alexis Korner (1964), John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (1964), Ronnie Scott (1965), Georgie Fame And The Blue Flames (1970), Mike Westbrook (1970-71), Mike Gibbs (1970-71), and Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath (1971). In 1969, he formed his own quintet (Kenny Wheeler, Tony Oxley, John Taylor and Harry Miller), with which he won the best soloist and best band awards at the Montreux International Jazz Festival and gained a scholarship to Berklee College Of Music, although he did not take this up. 

In 1973, he co-founded S.O.S., probably the first all-saxophone band, with Mike Osborne and John Surman. He has subsequently formed various small groups of his own, including El Skid (co-led with Elton Dean), SOH (with Ali Haurand and Tony Oxley), and Tenor Tonic (with Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers and Tony Levin), and has worked with the George Gruntz Concert Band, the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, the Charlie Watts Orchestra, Stan Tracey, Mose Allison, Van Morrison, Georgie Fame again, and with the West German Radio Band. Unquestionably one of the best jazz saxophonists Britain has ever produced.

Personnel – 

Nat Birchall – Tenor, soprano saxophone, bells, cabasa 

Adam Fairhall – Piano 

Michael Bardon – Bass 

Paul Hession – Drums 

Lascelle Gordon – Percussion 

Special guests – 

Alan Skidmore – Tenor saxophone 

Mark Wastell – Percussion

You can pre-order a digital version of the New World album by the Nat Birchall Unity Ensemble feat. Alan Skidmore right here. 

UK pals can get tickets for Nat Birchall Unity Ensemble's show with special guests Alan Skidmore and Mark Wastell at London's Cafe OTO on May 17th below. Watch an unrelated Unity Ensemble performance from last year's We Out Here festival.  

 

See Nat Birchall Unity Ensemble w/Alan Skidmore & Mark Wastell at London's Cafe OTO May 17 – tickets/info here.